Magic Out Early To Court Davis

The Money To Get Antonio Davis In An Orlando Uniform Is Not There, But He's Impressed.

July 2, 2001|By Tim Povtak, Sentinel Staff Writer

When the clock struck 12:01 Sunday morning -- when the green flag dropped on NBA free agency -- the Orlando Magic made their first official move on Antonio Davis, ringing the doorbell at his home in southwest Orlando.

He smiled when he opened the door.

"No, it didn't wake me up, but it startled us a little,'' Davis said later Sunday.

"I was like `wow.' They're serious about this. It made me feel good.''

Magic Coach Doc Rivers and his assistants, along with Magic General Manager John Gabriel, all were standing there in the dark like Christmas carolers, making sure that Davis understands how important he is to their plans.

Now if only they can pull it off.

"Ma-gic, Ma-gic, Ma-gic,'' they chanted, much to the amusement of Davis and his wife, Kendra, who invited them all inside.

Davis, 32, is the free-agent, all-star center for the Toronto Raptors who the Magic want in their frontcourt for next season and beyond.

He already lives here in the off-season, but the Magic are trying to convince him to make it a year-round residence.

The Magic spent the rest of the day entertaining and recruiting him, rolling out the same red-carpet treatment they provided Grant Hill, Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady, who were free agents last summer.

He and his wife toured the Magic's team plane and hanger late in the morning. They toured the RDV Sportsplex at noon, dining with several members of the Magic organization.

They were wisked away to a luxury suite on Disney property, where they dined with Hill, McGrady, Rivers and Gabriel.

Davis and his children got the VIP trip through the Magic Kingdom.

Although it was hard for Davis to stop smiling through the day -- and he has said repeatedly that he would love to play here -- the Magic still haven't solved the issue of creating enough salary cap space to afford him.

Until they can find partners for a sign-and-trade deal -- and the Raptors have said they aren't interested -- or give away Bo Outlaw and Mike Miller for nothing but draft picks in return -- the Magic have little to attract Davis financially.

They currently have only a $4.5 million salary cap exception to offer him for a first-year salary, which won't be enough to sign him. He opted out of a contract with the Raptors that would have paid him $7 million this season and next.

The Raptors are expected to offer him a multiyear deal starting at $9.6 million -- NBA maximum for his years of experience.

Raptors General Manager Glen Grunwald is scheduled to come to Orlando today to meet with Davis and Bill Duffy, his agent. Duffy met Sunday with Philadelphia general manager Billy King.

Last week Duffy said he expected to receive serious offers from 10 NBA teams.

Among those teams expected to pursue Davis are the Philadelphia 76ers, which lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

After the poor performance by power forward Tyrone Hill, the Sixers would like to replace him with Davis, who could play alongside center Dikembe Mutombo.

Davis and his wife are expected to attend a lunchtime cookout today at the home of Bob Vander Weide, Magic president, before starting their talks with Grunwald later in the day.

After the visit with Davis ends, the Magic will continue their free-agent hunt, turning to their alternative plans in case they can't find a suitable trade to satisfy Davis' contract expectations.

Among those the Magic will be looking at are Toronto forward Jerome Williams, Dallas center/forward Calvin Booth, and Golden State center Marc Jackson, as well as guards Doug Christie and Mitch Richmond.

Although verbal commitments will start happening soon, teams can't sign players to new contracts until July 18.